The Yankees utility players, Ronald
Torreyes (0.3 WAR), Tyler Wade (-0.1 WAR) and Neil Walker (-0.1 WAR) had a
combined WAR of .1 in 2018, and while they are all serviceable as utility
players or as players off the bench, this is an area where the Yankees could use
an upgrade in 2019.

Dreadful West Coast trip comes to an end, A's complete sweep of Yanks

The West Coast woes continued for the Bronx Bombers on Father's Day, as they dropped their sixth straight game. The last place Oakland Athletics completed a four-game sweep of the Yankees with a 4-3 victory. Filling in for the injured CC Sabathia, Luis Cessa was unimpressive, and after showing signs of optimism early, the Yanks' offense faltered after the fourth inning.

Photo Credit: Tony Avelar/AP

The Yankees got on the board first courtesy of a Matt Holliday solo home run to lead off the second inning. Brett Gardner led off the third with a double. Two batters later, the hometown hero, Aaron Judge, laced an RBI single into right field, giving the Bombers an early 2-0 lead.

As has been the case for most of this dreadful West Coast swing, the Yankees yet again surrendered an early lead. The bottom of the third inning was rough for starter Luis Cessa. With two runners on, Chad Pinder doubled to center field, tying the game at two. With Pinder still on second, Khris Davis hit a home run to deep center field, handing the A's a 4-2 lead.

Photo Credit: Tony Avelar/AP

The Yankees inched a bit closer in the top of the fourth. Didi Gregorius continued his hot hitting with a home run to right field. The homer was subsequently reviewed, with the end result upholding the initial call, bringing the Yankees to within one run of tying the ballgame. This as as close as they would get.

Getting anything else together offensively for the Yankees was a struggle on this hot Sunday afternoon. Gregorius reached second with one out on an errant throw from shortstop Chad Pinder, but interim closer Sean Doolittle easily retired Chase Headley and Chris Carter to seal the deal.

The one bright spot on the day, however, was the much anticipated return of closer Aroldis Chapman. After a long stint on the disabled list, Chapman returned to pitch a scoreless eighth inning. Chapman's return is a much welcomed addition to a Yankees bullpen that has imploded over the past week, at one point blowing four straight late inning leads.

Photo Credit: Tony Avelar/ AP

The Yankees will happily return to the friendly confines of the Bronx when they begin a three game series against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night, following Monday's much needed off day. This West Coast road trip, on which the Yankees went 1-6, was an unmitigated disaster. After suffering six crushing defeats at the hands of both the Angels and A's, the Yankees may have hit rock bottom on the season.

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The scene was set for the
young budding Bomber squad last fall after finishing their season a game away
from a World Series berth. They were the team that arrived a year too early,
and another deep playoff run would be the goal, but then an old friend threw a
wrench in those plans. Derek Jeter put gargantuan slugger Giancarlo Stanton on
the market, and Stanton dictated his transfer with a full no-trade clause. The
Giants and Cardinals among others threw their name into the ring, but who did
he choose? The Yankees and Dodgers, it seemed to be a battle of baseballs
powerhouses, but the Yankees had an advantage over their former neighbors,
payroll flexibility. They were able to use this into an absolute steal of the
reigning NL MVP, and the Yankees were thrust into a world series or bust year.
The season was historic, they set the season home run record without Gary
Sanchez, Didi Gregorius, Greg Bird, and Aaron Judge for most if not all of the
year, but it ended in a bust at the hands of…

The
speculation started during the regular season, even prior to his trade from the
Baltimore Orioles to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Where would Manny Machado go upon
his free agency at the end of the 2018 regular season? And, with that, which
teams would be knocking on his door? No
sooner did the Yankees’ regular season come to a close after their fated ending
in the American League Division Series, the talks of Machado coming to the
Bronx took off as though pushed by a speeding 4 Train behind Yankee Stadium. The
truth of the matter is that the rumors started even prior to Machado’s free
agency being on the horizon -- they started
at the trade deadline.

Yankee fans are left with more questions than answers following Clint Frazier’s injury riddled 2018. Frazier suffered through concussion symptoms throughout his 2018 campaign, which saw him appear in 69 games between the minors and the big leagues. Now, Yankees fans wonder what 2019 will hold for the 24 year-old.

Miguel Andujar’s 2018
arrival in the big leagues on April 1st had been much anticipated by Yankee
fans and we were rewarded with a Rookie of the Year performance by one of the
most exciting players in all of Major League Baseball.

Corey Kluber is the difference
maker and impact arm the Yankees need atop their rotation. In 2017 and
2018, Yankee fans wished ace-like status on Luis Severino, but his
inconsistencies have left him just short of owning the name. Kluber, 32,
has been the definition of consistent for the Cleveland Indians, winning 18+
games four out of the last five years and winning 20 games in 2018 for the
first time in his career. Kluber has posted an ERA below 3.50 every season
since 2014, and has struck out at least 220 hitters in the same span. Kluber
keeps getting better, and is not showing any signs of regression. Kluber is an
ace, the ace the Yankees need.

There’s
no easy way to answer this question. Or, rather, there’s no one answer. The
surrounding factors change, creating different situations and, as such,
different fits -- both from a financial and from a team standpoint. A case can
be made to bring back either of these free agents, or both of them, or…
neither. But it’s almost impossible to make a blanket answer that fits in every
possible scenario.

It
felt like a shoe-in. So much so, in fact, that I advocated
for what I thought was the inevitable all the way back in September, before the
BBWAA even announced the nominees for American League Rookie of the Year.

First acquired in a relatively
small-time, 40-man sell-off move around this time last year that sent 1B
Garrett Cooper and LHP Caleb Smith to Miami, Michael King was seen as a young
right hander with promise, but one still years away from making any significant
Major League impact.At the time, the
important part of that trade was the $250,000 international bonus pool money
Miami included, which we all thought was to be used on Shohei Ohtani.Ohtani, obviously, never ended up in the Bronx
and will not pitch at all in 2019 after undergoing offseason Tommy John
Surgery.

Flashback to July 3rd -
the Mariners had just won their eighth consecutive game, putting them 20 games
above .500 and in possession of the third-best record in baseball. Everything
was going right in Seattle, and it surely seemed as if the M’s infamous 17-year
playoff drought would finally come to an end. Just two and a half months later
on September 22nd, the Mariners were eliminated from playoff contention,
following a dreadful summer slump and the concurrent surge of the
division-rival Athletics.

I
cannot count the number of times I tweeted about the Yankees and their problem
with RISP and situational offense over the course of the 2018 season. Of
course, the Yankees won 100 games on the regular season, and that statistic is
nothing to sniff at. They also claimed the single-season home run record. And
that’s great.